Monthly Archives: May 2012

Music and the mind

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

Robyn Williams: Do you remember a series of programs I did in 1976 on dyslexia? The therapist who achieved some quite remarkable results with her young patients did so by teaching them to dance. Then here was the comedian Terry Thomas, with whom I did something on TV in 1971. He was already stiff and awkward, showing signs of Parkinsons disease. Later, in a TV documentary, Jonathan Miller showed how Terry Thomas could barely walk through a doorway, but he could easily dance through it. Music, the magic ingredient - now a new book shows why it works. This is Professor Roger Rees in Adelaide: Roger Rees: The distinguished author and neurologist Oliver Sacks has been lobbying the US Congress for music therapy to be recognised as a necessary treatment for people recovering from trauma and for people experiencing mental health difficulties. In the UK a study is examining the psychological impact of being exposed to bird song including whether it helps us to relax, can assist our ability to complete tasks and even think creatively. Meanwhile in Australia the SBS documentary titled The Musical Brain illuminates how the brain uses music to shape human experience. Pioneering music therapy has … Continue reading →

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New treatment for brain injuries being tested at SAMMC

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

Hoping to finally have a useful treatment to offer for serious head injuries, doctors at San Antonio Military Medical Center will begin today giving the hormone progesterone to many patients. SAMMC, one of the region's two Level 1 trauma centers, is taking part in a national federally funded study of progesterone in patients with moderate to severe brain injuries. For the last 30 years, there have been a lot of drug trials, and every one of them has failed. There's a lot of hope with this, said Col. Randall McCafferty, chief of neurosurgery at SAMMC. Progesterone is mostly known as a female reproductive hormone, but men's bodies also produce some. And in the brain, it works the same in men and women: reducing swelling, inflammation and cell death. Smaller studies have shown the treatment cuts the risk of death by half. Because many brain-injured patients are unable to give permission to take part in the study, under federal law, people can opt out in advance by calling 210-916-1827 or going online to http://www.protectiii.com. While the military is interested in a better treatment for head injuries, which are common on the battlefield, most San Antonio-area patients are likely to be civilians, … Continue reading →

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RBCC Target’s Brain Injury Treatment Awareness Campaign Reaches Milestone

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

NOKOMIS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Rainbow BioSciences, LLC, the biotech subsidiary of Rainbow Coral Corp. (RBCC), today announced the collaboration of its latest target, Amarantus BioSciences, Inc. (OTCBB: AMBS.OB - News), with Brewer Sports International(BSI) to increase awareness about new medical therapies in development to effectively treat traumatic brain injuries, commonly referred to as concussions, occurring primarily as a result of football and other contact sports. The Coalition for Concussion Treatment campaign, known under its Twitter handle as #C4CT, has reached the critical milestone of 100 people signing a petition endorsing the movement and seeking to disseminate critical information about promising new therapies BSI will be identifying and raising awareness for over the next several months. Raising awareness of new advancement in developing treatments for TBI is critically important because it will allow the broader community to support drug developers efforts. Recent research on concussions suffered by athletes of all ages, including children, is rapidly changing the publics view of the impact these injuries have on players, including horrific side effects such as dementia and even suicide, as has been seen by the recent tragic deaths of certain current and former NFL and NHL players. The newly formed Coalition for Concussion Treatment … Continue reading →

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Walk MS arrives in Plattsburgh

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

PLATTSBURGH North Country residents whose lives have been impacted by multiple sclerosis will have an opportunity to raise awareness of the disease during a fundraiser in Plattsburgh this weekend. Walk MS, a national organization dedicated to supporting people with multiple sclerosis, will hold its first-ever local event on U.S. Oval on Sunday, with registration beginning at 9 a.m. and the walk commencing at 10. WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY The Plattsburgh location was made possible by the dedication of several people who felt a need to bring a local MS program to the North Country. I contacted the National MS Society following my attendance at an annual Walk MS event in Saratoga Springs because my sister-in-law was participating on behalf of Tracey SantaMaria, said Kelly Murphy of AuSable Forks. Tracey (who has MS) was unable to attend last year due to an MS-related issue, and the drive would have been too long and difficult for her to sustain, she added. Murphy emailed the Upstate New York Chapter of Walk MS about the possibility of organizing an event in Plattsburgh, and that started the wheels in motion to organize a local fundraiser. This is a wonderful opportunity for people in our region, said SantaMaria, … Continue reading →

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Ukraine treatment for Tymoshenko

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

4 May 2012 Last updated at 12:40 ET Ukraine's jailed opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko has agreed to be treated locally for a back problem, according to a visiting German doctor. She had hoped to go abroad, but Ukraine's chief prosecutor has said prison inmates are not allowed to travel for medical treatment. Ms Tymoshenko is serving a seven-year sentence for abuse of office. Several EU leaders have threatened to boycott Euro 2012 football games in Ukraine over how she is being treated. Leaders in the Netherlands and Germany - two of the tournament favourites - have said they will boycott matches in Ukraine, which is co-hosting the games with Poland, if Ms Tymoshenko's treatment does not improve. She is suffering from a herniated disc in her back and her supporters have said she is too ill to remain in jail in Ukraine. The former prime minister was visited on Friday by German physician Dr Karl Max Einhaupl, who told reporters that the authorities had agreed to her request to be treated by a German doctor. Both the German and Russian governments had offered to treat her in their hospitals, but Ukraine has refused to let her leave the country. Dr … Continue reading →

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Wellsville Multiple Sclerosis Walk: Marlee Cannon, Diane Winans doing their parts for MS awareness

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

Fourteen years after the Wellsville Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Walk started, there is a greater awareness of the disease which is now said to affect infants and young children. Marlee Cannon, who grew up in Whitesville, but who lives in Wellsville, started the local MS Walk after she was diagnosed with the neurological disease in the 1990s. An active mother with two basketball-minded sons, she said, I wanted to raise awareness and let people know what was happening to me and what may be happening to them. In 1999, when Cannon started the MS Walk, research indicated that MS was a disease which affected the brain and spinal cord, resulting in loss of muscle control, vision, balance and sensation. This usually occurred in women after their mid-30s. But recent research has shown that MS has begun to be diagnosed in infants and toddlers. I have a friend whose 5-year-old granddaughter was diagnosed with MS. They noticed a change in her gait and had her tested, Cannon said. Cannon and Diane Winans, who took over the walk in 2006 and who also has MS, said, Everyone is different, in the way the disease manifests itself. Cannon noticed a problem with sight and … Continue reading →

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N.Y. soldier died of rabies from dog bite

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

ALBANY, N.Y., May 4 (UPI) -- A recently returned U.S. Army soldier died of rabies in New York state last August, eight months after he was bitten by a dog in Afghanistan, officials say. "This is the first rabies death among U.S. service members since 1974. Canine rabies has been eliminated from the United States but is a risk to residents and visitors of many countries around the globe -- especially Africa and Asia," the New York state Department of Health reported. A U.S. Army soldier with progressive right arm and shoulder pain, nausea, vomiting, ataxia, anxiety and dysphagia was admitted Aug. 19, 2011, to an emergency department in New York for suspected rabies, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. "Rabies virus antigens were detected in a nuchal skin biopsy, rabies virus antibodies in serum and cerebrospinal fluid and rabies viral RNA in saliva and specimens by state and CDC rabies laboratories," the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said. "An Afghanistan canine rabies virus variant was identified. The patient underwent an experimental treatment protocol but died on Aug. 31. The patient had described a dog bite while in Afghanistan. However, he had not received effective … Continue reading →

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Woman Describes Dance with Ataxia

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

HOUSTON - Its a rare disease that has no cure. Its called Ataxia and it leaves its victims with little control of the bodies. It affects only 3 out of every 100,000 people. Alcohol abuse, stroke and tumor can cause the disease but in the case of Houstonian Erica Leher, she inherited a defective gene. With time not on her side, she's trying to spread awareness through a book and an iPad. Princeton graduate Erica Leher had her hands full: two children, a husband and a career in law and journalism but at 47 years old, her life took a tumble. The balance was getting worse, she was falling and shes broken some bones, said her husband Richard Goldman. Six years ago, after a series of tests, spinal taps and MRI's, she was diagnosed with Ataxia which controls the nervous system. The disease has taken hold of her mobility, speech, body temperature, blood pressure and eye muscles. Unfortunately this is one of those illnesses where there is no cure, and no treatment and it doesnt go into remission, said Richard. Kane: Where does the Doctor say this is going to go? Erica: Death. Continue reading here: Woman Describes Dance with … Continue reading →

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Stem cell-derived neurotransmissions measured

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

In an effort to identify the underlying causes of neurological disorders that impair motor functions such as walking and breathing, UCLA researchers have developed a novel system to measure communication between stem cell-derived motor neurons and muscle cells in a Petri dish. The study provides an important proof of principle that functional motor circuits can be created outside the body using these neurons and cells and that the level of communication, or synaptic activity, between them can be accurately measured by stimulating the motor neurons with an electrode and then tracking the transfer of electrical activity into the muscle cells to which the neurons are connected. When motor neurons are stimulated, they release neurotransmitters that depolarize the membranes of muscle cells. This allows calcium and other ions to enter the cells, causing them to contract. By measuring the strength of this activity, one can get a good estimation of the overall health of motor neurons. That estimation could shed light on a variety of neurodegenerative diseases, such as spinal muscular atrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease), in which communication between motor neurons and muscle cells is thought to unravel, said the study's senior author, Bennett G. Novitch, an … Continue reading →

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A single stem cell mutation triggers fibroid tumors: Mutated stem cell 'goes wild' in frenzied tumor expansion

Posted: Published on May 6th, 2012

ScienceDaily (May 4, 2012) Fibroid uterine tumors affect an estimated 15 million women in the United States, causing irregular bleeding, anemia, pain and infertility. Despite the high prevalence of the tumors, which occur in 60 percent of women by age 45, the molecular cause has been unknown. New Northwestern Medicine preclinical research has for the first time identified the molecular trigger of the tumor -- a single stem cell that develops a mutation, starts to grow uncontrollably and activates other cells to join its frenzied expansion. "It loses its way and goes wild," said Serdar Bulun, M.D., the chair of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. "No one knew how these came about before. The stem cells make up only 1 percent of the cells in the tumor, yet they are the essential drivers of its growth." The paper is published in the journal PLoS ONE. Masanori Ono, M.D., a post-doctoral student in Bulun's lab, is the lead author. The stem cell initiating the tumor carries a mutation called MED12. Recently, mutations in the MED12 gene have been reported in the majority of uterine fibroid tissues. Once the mutation kicks off the … Continue reading →

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